Archive | April, 2009

Reserve your spot at the book signing

Reposted from the Allen County Photo Album blog:

You can now reserve your spot at the May 23 presentation and book signing at Mitchell Books! Do one of the following:

  • Stop in at Mitchell Books in Covington Plaza on Jefferson Boulevard and tell any staff person you’d like to reserve a spot.
  • Call Mitchell Books at (260) 423-BOOK (2665) and talk to an actual human being — they can’t accept voice mail requests.

Seating is limited to 60 people, so contact Mitchell soon if you want to make sure you get in.

But do not fear: If demand is especially high, Mitchell said we can do a second book signing later in the summer.

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Book signing and presentation

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be hosting a presentation and book signing here in Fort Wayne next month! Here are the details:

Want to hear stories about how we put together the Allen County Photo album book? And want a sneak peek at the next book due out this autumn?

Well, mark your calendars for 6 p.m. Saturday, May 23, when I will step into Studio M at Mitchell Books and give a visual presentation about:

  • Some of our favorite photos from the book — and the stories behind them.
  • Some photos that didn’t make the cut for some, um, interesting reasons.
  • A sneak peek at some photos that will be in the next book.

Plus, I’ll have a fistful of black Sharpies if you’d like me to scrawl my signature across your book.

This will be a free but ticketed event because the venue holds only 60 people. If demand is high, Mitchell Books would be interested in having a second event.

Once I receive information from Mitchell about the ticketing procedure, I’ll post it here. (I’ll also run some ads in The News-Sentinel, in print and online.)

You can find more info on the new Allen County Photo Album blog.

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In Defense of Fake Authenticity

Note: Just tonight, I realized that an essay that was first published elsewhere was no longer online. After some searching through the Wayback Machine, I found it again and post it here for posterity’s sake.

This essay is a response of sorts to a post on Scott Greider’s blog in which he criticizes a local Uno’s Pizzaria for looking like an old urban building but actually being a new suburban building. I agreed with Scott’s concerns, but offered a different perspective. The Uno’s in question has since closed.

My friend Scott is frustrated with a pizza place.

He enjoyed the food, he liked the prices, and he thought the service was acceptable.

But he still feels like he’s been lied to — by the building itself.

“What made this place so cool — primarily its atmosphere — was … well … inauthentic!” Scott said on his blog after his visit to Uno’s Chicago Grill in Fort Wayne.

“You see, this was a brand new building out in the sprawling suburbs on a lot surrounded by parking spaces that was intentionally trying to look and feel a hundred years old.”

He’s right, especially when he compares the Fort Wayne restaurant to the original Uno’s in Chicago.

My family and I ate at the original Uno’s last year, and while we ate deep-dish authentic Chicago pizza elbow-to-elbow around a table a bit too big for the tiny dining room, even the youngest of us knew we weren’t just taking in a pizza. We were taking in history.

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Songs, lyrics from Angola concert

If you’re here looking for lyrics from the songs I sang at Angola UMC, below is the list with links to the lyrics:

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Thanks to all the listeners at the Praisathon at Angola UMC who welcomed me so warmly! It’s always a pleasure meeting the saints in Angola.

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Preorder “Daylight” (and other news)

If you’re here after seeing my short concert in Angola: Welcome! Let me tell you what’s going on:

  • Download a couple of free songs on my Free! page.
  • Listen to some songs from my instrumental album, “Wordlessly,” on the store page. You can also find out how to purchase a CD or find it on iTunes.
  • Preorder my new album, “Daylight,” which will be released later this year, also on the store page.
  • Look for me on Twitter or on Facebook. Links are near the bottom of the sidebar.
  • And then be sure to sign up for updates, either by RSS or email. Look for the Get Automatic Updates headline at the top of the sidebar.

I hope to add more shows and more songs later this spring. Thanks!

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Short concert Friday night

I didn’t post this earlier, because I think people who are going don’t read this site, and those who do read this site live too far away …

But I’ll be playing a slot at the Praisathon at the Angola (Indiana) UMC on Friday night. If you’re in that area, stop by and give a listen.

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